BJP, twice bitten, but not yet shy in its bid to comeback. Unable to get its way with the Election Commission in the choice of poll dates, BJP is trying to garner mileage as much as it can by using the office until the poll dates are declared. It pushes through certain economic decisions intended to please the voters and shuffles the bureaucrats including Union Home Secretary and Governors of the opposition-ruled states to suit its convenience at the time of election.

This has raised many eyebrows. The opposition has already taken up the issue with the President. It says, Vajpayee Government having lost in the confidence vote on the floor of Loksabha, tendered its resignation to the President. It is still in the office because the President advised it to carry on till an alternative arrangement takes place. In the intervening period this government has no checks and balances if it takes any policy decision. Not only the opposition, some legal experts, too, feel if this government is not regarded as a caretaker and thus restrained from taking any policy decision, it will affect the sanctity of Parliament where Vajpayee government lost its right to rule after the trust vote defeat.

So the ball is again in the court of President. Since the Election Commission comes to the picture only after the poll schedule is announced, the President’s role has assumed significance as the powers of a caretaker government are not distinctly defined in the constitution. However, while the President weighs role of a caretaker government, Vajpayee government continues to push through policy decisions keeping eye on the ballot box. Alongside, it goes for media blitz to ensure its come-back.

The Congress is also preparing its agenda to unseat the BJP in the husting, though its shortsightedness enabled the BJP to stay on in office even after its defeat in the trust vote. The other opposition parties, mainly the Left Parties, are girding up their loins to bring about a viable alternative.